Handicapping the Section 9 girls' basketball tourney

Monday

Feb 25, 2013 at 2:00 AM

Some things in Section 9 girls' basketball haven't changed.

WILLIAM MONTGOMERY

Some things in Section 9 girls' basketball haven't changed.

Monroe-Woodbury, Cornwall, John S. Burke Catholic and Livingston Manor all defended Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association division titles. Wallkill played in the Mid-Hudson Athletic League championship game for the fifth time in the last six seasons, winning its second title in three years.

Yet the Section 9 tournament figures to be wide open, with plenty of contenders and few clear-cut favorites.

Monroe-Woodbury, which went undefeated in OCIAA Division I, is the top seed. The Crusaders' only loss was a 36-33 defeat to Minisink Valley on Jan. 15.

Monroe-Woodbury scored at least 50 points in each of its next seven games and wrapped up the regular season with a 44-32 victory at Newburgh Free Academy.

Monroe-Woodbury was the top seed in the Section 9 tournament last season, but the Crusaders were upset in the semifinals by No. 5 Valley Central. The Vikings went on to win the Section 9 title.

All four teams from OCIAA Division II should be considered dangerous, as Minisink Valley, Warwick, Washingtonville and Valley Central — seeds No. 5 through 8, which all start on the road — spent the regular season beating one another unpredictably.

Kingston and Roosevelt also will contend, as could Newburgh, which will play without junior forward Sarah Williams, a double-double machine who averaged 13.3 points and 13.9 rebounds. She was removed from the team after repeated violation of team rules.

"There's not a whole lot of difference between the teams seeded two through eight," Desiderio said.

The favorite: Monroe-Woodbury. The Crusaders are deep, talented and fundamentally sound. Can they make up for last year's postseason shortcomings?

The dark horse: Kingston. The Tigers, the No. 2 seed, have played in eight Section 9 championship games since 2003, but were knocked out by Valley Central in the opening round last season. Kingston was 0-4 against Monroe-Woodbury and Newburgh in the regular season.

As the top two seeds, Wallkill (No. 1) and Cornwall earned byes into the quarterfinal round and are likely headed to a showdown in the championship game.

Wallkill starts three sophomores — Rachel Simon, Chelsea Murphy and Heather Kiczek, but the Panthers have size, speed and a penchant for the 3-point shot.

Wallkill enters the playoffs having won the MHAL tournament title, but the Panthers know the Section 9 tournament will be a tougher challenge.

"It's up-tempo. It's a lot different than the regular season," said senior forward Lisa Bouffard, who was a member of Wallkill's 2011 Section 9 championship team. "Cornwall is, if we meet them in the championship, they're tough and they're fast. We're fast, too, but I think we can beat them."

Wallkill was eliminated in the first round of last year's tournament in a wild back-and-forth game at Marlboro. The memory of that game has been motivating the team ever since.

"We know what it feels like to lose like that and we know we never want to feel like that again," Kiczek said. "We're just going to go out there and keep that pain in the back of our mind and let that drive us forward."

The favorite: Wallkill. The Panthers are strong all-around and head into the tournament having won the MHAL tournament championship.

The dark horse: Cornwall. The Dragons have had an up-and-down, injury-plagued season, but they also have the talent to go toe-to-toe with Wallkill.

John A. Coleman Catholic, a winner of five straight Section 9 titles, figured to be the clear-cut favorite in Class B after being moved up after a one-season stint at Class C in 2011-12.

Onteora, however, upset Coleman Catholic in the MHAL semifinals, earning the No. 1 seed in the process.

John S. Burke Catholic, which won the OCIAA Division IV title, will be the No. 2 seed as Coleman Catholic dropped to No. 3 after the loss to Onteora.

Highland, a winner of four straight Section 9 Class B titles, is the No. 6 seed and opens with a game at Coleman Catholic in the quarterfinal round.

No. 4 Marlboro lost to Wallkill in the MHAL semifinals, but the team does have a few signature wins on its schedule. The Dukes were the only team to have defeated Wallkill during the regular season.

The favorite: Coleman Catholic. With Onteora coming back down to earth in a 22-point loss to Wallkill in the MHAL finals, Coleman Catholic could be poised for a rematch against Onteora in the final. Senior center Lauren Melville was held scoreless in the MHAL semifinals loss, but she and twin sisters Nicole and Emily Curley give Coleman Catholic too much of a presence down low to not make a charge at a sixth straight Section 9 title.

The darkhorse: Marlboro. The Dukes have plenty of talent, but will they have what it takes in a potential semifinal game at Onteora?

Chester went undefeated in OCIAA Division V, so the Hambletonians were rewarded with a No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.

The rest of the bracket is a toss-up, as it was during much of the regular season.

"It could be anybody's thing," Tri-Valley coach John Tenbus said. "Obviously, Chester is a great team and so are Millbrook and Tuxedo. It's going to be fun."

Chester is led by senior guard Mardelle Jean, and she has a solid supporting cast in senior center Amanda Schembri and sophomore sensation Simone Ayers, who has quickly become one of Section 9's best rebounders and scorers in the paint.

Millbrook, which had a strong season in the MHAL, is the No. 2 seed.

The favorite: Chester. The Hambletonians haven't played in a Section 9 championship game since 1994. That Class D final, a 51-39 loss to Eldred, is Chester's only appearance in a Section 9 final. With a good mix of veteran leadership, scoring and rebounding, Chester might make school history this time around.

The darkhorse: Tuxedo. The Tornadoes have a long tradition of girls' basketball success. With Kaylah Pinkney and her 13.2 points per game leading the way, Tuxedo could wind up in the title game for the eighth time in the last 12 seasons.

It's a two-team field in Class D. No. 2 Livingston Manor and No. 1 Eldred tied for the OCIAA Division VI title after splitting the season series.

Eldred did win the most recent matchup on Wednesday night, using a balanced scoring attack — no Eldred player reached double digits — to top Manor 38-30.

Manor's Samantha Scott scored 21 points in that game, and she was a key player in the Wildcats' run to the state semifinals last season.

wmontgomery@th-record.com

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.